A detached garage on the 600 block of East Wabash Ave. was deemed a total loss following a large fire Tuesday evening. Reports of the fire were called in around 7:30 p.m. when the Crawfordsville Fire Department arrived to thick black smoke and flames fully engulfing the garage. Firefighters initiated a coordinated response on three fronts: a defensive attack on the garage; a defensive operation to protect nearby structures; and an offensive interior attack within the house. The fire was beginning to spread to nearby homes before being brought under control later that evening at 8:30 p.m. All occupants of the home, including pets, were safely escorted out. The area was closed to traffic until around 10:00 p.m.
According to a statement from the City of Crawfordsville, investigators determined the cause to be accidental and “likely caused by thermal runaway from a lithium-ion battery that was being charged inside the garage”.
Assisting agencies included the Crawfordsville Police Department, Montgomery County Central Communications Center, Crawfordsville Electric Light & Power, Indiana American Water Company, and CenterPoint Energy.
Headline photo provided by the Crawfordsville Fire Department.